Episode Details

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is wrapping up a week-long tour of Northern Europe, with stops in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. It is the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister to Denmark in 15 years and to Sweden in 22 years. The tour comes as Europe is wrestling with trade tensions with China, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and growing uncertainty over its relationship with the US. It also coincides with this week's NATO summit in Ankara. All four countries on Wang's itinerary are NATO members, while three are also members of the European Union. So why has Beijing chosen the Nordic region for this diplomatic push? Can these countries help steady China-Europe relations at a time of growing geopolitical pressure? And beyond the handshakes and diplomatic language, what concrete results has the visit produced?